Sewing needles



Dec. 27, 1955 s. J. EVERETT 2,728,343

SEWING NEEDLES Filed June 3, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor- 547M054 JflME-S EVEPEW;

Altar-hey s. J. EVERETT SEWING NEEDLES Dec. 27, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 5, 1954 SEWING NEEDLES Samuel James Everett, Thornton Heath, England, assignor to S. & R. .l. Everett & Company Limited, Thornton Heath, England, a British company Application June 3, 1954, Serial No. 434,698 9 Claims. (Cl. 128-31) This invention relates to sewing needles, and particularly to suture needles for use in surgery.

In suture needles which have to pass through the tissue of the patient, it is desirable that abrupt changes of section should be avoided and one way of providing a non-traumatic needle in which the suture is anchored centrally in the rear end of the needle so as to form a prolongation of the needle without any increase in diameter, so avoiding discomfort to the patient and further damage to the tissue, is to make the rear part of the needle tubular and secure the end of the suture or ligature in the axial bore thus formed in the rear end of the needle. However, it has been found difficult to ensure that the ligature is held securely without so damaging the ligature, for instance either by heat in melting an adhesive or mechanically in crimping the rear end of the needle, that the suture is weakened at the point where it is attached to the needle with the result that either the ligature tends to slip out of the bore in the needle because it is not sutficiently well secured or tends to break because the operation of securing it has weakened it. Preferably the joint between the ligature and needle should have a tensile strength of about half the ultimate tensile strength of the ligature, and the present invention enables such a joint to be achieved without the danger of so damaging the ligature that the joint is unreliable.

According to the invention, the ligature is secured in the tubular bore at the rear of the needle by a series of indentations stamped in the tubular part of the needle spaced along the length of the bore after the ligature has been inserted, the depth of the indentations increasing progressively from the open end to the closed end of the bore. The innermost indentation may well be deep enough to damage the ligature and weaken it, but subsequent ones which penetrate less deeply will grip the ligature sufiiciently tightly without damage.

This crimping may be carried out between a pair of dies in which the upper die has projections to form the indentations in the needle and the lower die has preferably a V-shaped groove in which the rear end of the needle rests. The groove may, however, be of half round or other suitable section. To achieve the progressive decrease in the depth of the indentations towards the rear end of the needle, the projections in the upper die may be progressively less or the groove in the lower die may be tapered slightly with the larger end towards the open end of the needle when the needle is laid in the groove.

An example of a needle to which a ligature is attached according to the present invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of the rear end of the needle;

Figure 2 is a side view of the needle shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a section of Figure 2 on the line III, III;

Figure 4 is a front view of a hand stamping tool for shaping the rear end of the needle so as to grip the suture;

Figure 5 is a side elevation of the tool shown in Figure 4.

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2,728,343 Eatented Dec. 27, 1955 .=In Figures "1 "to :3 the inee'dle 1 has an :axial bore '2 formed at the rear end into which the suture 3'=is inneedle is cylindrical :and the "bore 2 smooth and uniform. To retain the suture in the bore the rear end of the needle is stamped into the form shown between dies so that the rear end of the needle is shaped into two substantially fiat side faces 4 forming a V section with five indentations 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, along the upper surface. The indentation 9 nearest to the point of the needle is deepest and the other indentations become successively more shallow until the indentation 5. The effect of the indentations is to force the upper part of the wall of the bore 2 into close and tight engagement with the suture 3 and, in fact, the deeper indentations may partially sever the suture or so severely crush it that it is weakened. However, the less severe indentations will still give adequate anchoring.

The indentations are conveniently made and the rear end of the needle shaped as shown in Figures 1 to 3 by means of the tool shown in Figures 4 and 5 which consist of a frame 10 having a fixed lower anvil 11 in which a die insert 12 is held by a sliding clamp 13 which can be tightened by means of a screw 14. An upper anvil 15 is mounted to slide vertically on the frame 10 and carries an upper die insert 16 held in place by a clamp 17 operated by a screw 18. The upper anvil 15 has a vertical post 19 extending through a bore 20 of the frame 10. A hand-lever 21 pivoted to the frame 10 at 22 bears on the upper end of the post. The upper anvil 15 is urged upwards away from the lower anvil 11 by two coiled compression springs 23. The lower die insert 12 is shaped with a triangular groove 24 adapted to receive the rear end of a needle and the upper die insert 16 is provided with a series of five downwardly projecting teeth 25 of progressively greater depth in a position corresponding to the groove 24 in the die 12. Thus, when the rear end of the needle is placed in the groove 24 and the handlever 21 is depressed, the teeth 25 engage the upper surface of the rear end of the needle and form indentations 5 to 9 and, at the same time, force the needle down into the groove 24, causing it to assume the shape shown in Figures 1 to 3.

In the example, five indentations are formed in the needle to secure the suture. Satisfactory results are obtained with three or more such indentations.

I claim:

1. A method of attaching a ligature in the bore of a tubular part formed at the rear of a suture or similar sewing needle by stamping in the tubular part of the needle a series of indentations at intervals along the length of the bore after the ligature has been inserted, the depth of these indentations increasing progressively from the open end to the closed end of the bore.

2. A method according to claim 1, in which the indentations are arranged in one line parallel to the axis of the bore.

3. A method according to claim 2, in which that part of the wall of the bore opposite to the line of indentations is formed into a V section.

4. A method according to claim 2, in which the indentations are formed by a die having a series of projections of increasing size.

5. A method according to claim 3, in which the tubular part of the needle is crimped between a pair of dies, the upper having projections corresponding to the indentations to be made in the needle and the lower having a groove of V section.

6. A needle having a tubular bore in the rear end in which a suture is secured by means of a series of indentations formed in the wall of the tubular part and increasing in depth progressively from the open end to the closed end of the bore.

7. A needle according to claim 6 in which at least has a V-section, the apex of which is diametrically oppothree indentations are formed. site the line of indentation;

A needle according 6.1mm in which the inden' References Cited iii the file of this patent tations are arranged in a stralght hne parallel to the axis f the needle v 5 FOREIGN PATENTS 9. A needle according to claim 8, in which the needle 455,640 France Aug. 5, 1913 

